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Thursday, October 27, 2011

Changes to Reference Numbering under a new INIS Information Technology System

A new Information Technology system is being introduced in the Irish Naturalisation and Immigration Service (INIS) including the Office of the Refugee Applications Commissioner (ORAC), The Appeals Tribunal (RAT0 and the Reception and Integration Agency (RIA).

The new system will allow INIS to be more efficient in associating queries with individual applications and in directing queries to the relevant processing areas. This will simplify the process of checking the status of cases and lead to improvements in the way that INIS handles such queries. It will enable the most up to date information to be available to case workers and decision makers in a more structured way which will improve efficiency and effectiveness. It will involve the replacement of the existing file numbering system with a new single INIS approach to case numbering. The new numbers will be issued to both existing and new applicants.

The new system includes two types of identity or reference number. These are a person identity number and a separate application reference number.The person identity number will be in the format of a number followed by a year –the year based on the first application lodged to INIS. The application reference number will include a number, information regarding each application type, and the year the application was made.

Existing applicants and their cases will be assigned both a new person identity number and a new application reference number. Applicants or their representatives should quote the new numbers in any correspondence with INIS and associated agencies.

Letters from INIS will continue to include existing file reference numbers in addition to the new reference numbers in order to avoid confusion and to allow for a smooth transition to the new system. The existing file reference numbers will be included as a cross reference for older cases, these will gradually cease to be used over a period of time.

New applicants will be allocated a person identity number and/or an application reference number. They will not be allocated an old number.

The new reference number will not to visa applications where the existing reference numbering system for visa applications will not be changed.